Page Plus Cellular today introduced one new plan, and cut the price of an existing plan.

The MVNO, one of the first, is popular with readers of PhoneNews.com for supporting the activation of any Verizon Wireless 3G phone, including smartphones, on pay-as-you-go prepaid service.

The first change is a cut in the price of their standard unlimited plan from $44.95 to $39.95. The “Unlimited Talk-n-Text” plan will see no other changes, and this price is a reversion to the plan’s original price-point. The plan was increased by $5 shortly after introduction, but is now back to $39.95. The plan however has met some controversy for not actually being unlimited.

More interesting, is the introduction of a new plan, unceremoniously called “The 12”. The plan is a new price-point for the industry, offering 250 minutes, 250 text messages, and 10MB of data for $12 per month. The plan can be re-added multiple times in one month, and is a good option for people who normally use pay-as-you-go service, but may periodically need additional minutes.

The 12 is an excellent offering for use as a backup phone. When combined with Google Voice, you can now switch over to a Page Plus phone that is parked on pay-as-you-go, and $12 later, have a working phone for the day/week while your phone is being repaired/located/replaced.

These changes do start to put Page Plus in competition for prepaid data. The 12 plan is cheaper than AT&T’s GoPhone Pay As You Go pricing for data, especially when factoring in minimal voice usage. However, on higher-end plans, Page Plus remains uncompetitive compared to rival MVNOs Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile, which offer Android superphones with unlimited data starting from $35 to $55 per month.

The Unlimited Talk-n-Text price drop will take place on December 7. The 12 plan will be available starting December 20.

Christopher Price is the Founding Editor of PhoneNews.com. Today, he leads the team building Console, Inc. - a new kind of Android™ device. He still likes to pontificate... a lot. You can visit his personal blog at ChristopherPrice.net.

If you activate a The 12 plan on a Page Plus account, that bucket takes priority. The remaining balance is used for overages or things not included (international calling, etc).

After 30 days, the plan expires and you revert to Pay As You Go automatically. It is up to you to add or re-add the plan after 30 days.

Many Page Plus dealers offer auto-PINs that let you automatically keep your subscription to The 12 (or any other Page Plus plan) active each month, but the convenience is that you can use a plan just once, and maintain your pay as you go balance otherwise. This is basically the same as feature packs on AT&T GoPhone pay as you go service.